Animoca Brands push into stablecoin and RWA ahead of US IPO

As it advances plans for a U.S. listing, animoca brands is preparing a major expansion into stablecoins and real-world asset tokenization across its growing Web3 ecosystem.

How is Animoca Brands pivoting toward stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets?

Animoca Brands, a long-time investor in crypto and Web3 startups, will make its stablecoin and real-world asset initiatives a core focus in 2026, according to chief strategy officer Keyvan Peymani. In an interview with CNBC, Peymani said the company is preparing to scale both areas significantly over the coming year.

“We are going to launch into the stablecoin initiative in a major way. We are launching this RWA marketplace,” Peymani told CNBC. “That is a whole new sector for us.” The remarks highlight how the firm is extending beyond its established presence in blockchain gaming into more traditional financial infrastructure.

What is the strategy behind the new RWA and stablecoin ventures?

The company has already laid groundwork for this shift. In August, Animoca officially announced a Hong Kong joint venture with Standard Chartered and Hong Kong Telecommunications. The venture, called Anchorpoint Financial, intends to apply for a stablecoin issuer license from local regulators, positioning it within the emerging regulated digital money landscape.

Moreover, Animoca has signed several deals in 2024 to accelerate real-world asset tokenization. It partnered with global wealth management platform Fosun Wealth and blockchain finance firm FinChain to connect Asia’s traditional finance sector with Web3, distributing Fosun’s RWA products to international investors via a tokenized format.

Earlier this month, the company unveiled a partnership with Nasdaq-listed asset manager Hang Feng Technology Innovation Co. to develop a broader RWA tokenization ecosystem. Together, the firms aim to give institutional and retail investors easier exposure to tokenized assets on-chain.

“Together, we will make institutional-grade assets much more liquid and accessible as a necessary step toward a more inclusive on-chain financial system,” Animoca Brands Group President Evan Auyang said when announcing the collaboration. That said, the success of these plans will depend on regulatory clarity and market adoption of tokenized products.

Will there be a dedicated RWA tokenization marketplace?

Peymani’s comments suggest that a dedicated rwa tokenization marketplace sits at the center of the strategy. By building a platform for tokenizing and trading real-world assets, the company wants to bridge traditional finance instruments with Web3-native users. However, execution will require close coordination with partners and regulators across jurisdictions.

Within this framework, the firm views institutional rwa access as critical. The marketplace and related infrastructure are designed to make institutional-grade products more liquid while still meeting compliance demands. If successful, this could position the group as a key intermediary between banks, asset managers, and blockchain-native investors.

How is the core Web3 gaming business evolving?

Despite the push into stablecoins and RWA, Peymani stressed that Animoca will keep expanding its in-house Web3 projects. These include The Sandbox, Moca ID, Anichess and EDU Chain, all of which form part of its broader gaming and identity ecosystem. The company intends to deepen these products as it moves into 2026.

Moreover, Animoca started life as a mobile game developer and initially focused its investments on Web3 gaming. Peymani said the firm plans to stay true to those roots even as it branches into more finance-oriented sectors. The goal is to build synergies between gaming communities, digital identity, and new on-chain financial rails.

“We are still very bullish in what is going to happen in games,” Peymani told CNBC. He argued that players should “truly benefit” from the time, energy, and money they invest in games, by owning web3 gaming assets that persist beyond a single title and can move across the broader Web3 space.

What does the planned Nasdaq reverse merger involve?

Alongside its product roadmap, the company is preparing for a U.S. listing. Earlier this month, Animoca said it plans to go public on the Nasdaq in 2026 through a Nasdaq reverse merger with Currenc Group Inc., a Singapore-based fintech firm focused on artificial intelligence. The transaction would effectively give Animoca a U.S. public market presence.

If the reverse merger closes, Animoca would own the vast majority of Currenc Group and take over its Nasdaq listing. In turn, the group’s extensive digital asset and Web3 portfolio would gain direct access to U.S. investors and capital markets. However, the deal remains subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals.

The planned currenc group ipo structure aligns Animoca with a broader wave of crypto and digital asset companies going public in the United States. The roster already includes Coinbase, Circle, Bullish and Exodus, which collectively have helped normalize crypto-related listings since 2021.

How does Animoca Brands position itself for public investors?

Peymani framed the upcoming listing as a diversified way to access the broader crypto and Web3 sector. He argued that Animoca Brands IPO exposure could offer investors indirect stakes across multiple tokens, projects and platforms without concentrating risk in a single digital asset.

“We think we are one of those opportunities for someone to gain broad access to what is a really exciting growing market, but not to have to make too big a risk on any one token,” Peymani said. What the team aims to do, he added, is to become a market leader whenever a significant new trend emerges in Web3.

Moreover, Peymani said the company wants to be a vehicle through which “the entire industry and the entire retail sector” can benefit from structural changes in crypto, gaming, and tokenized finance. Over time, management believes this mix of gaming IP, infrastructure, and regulated asset initiatives can support long-term growth.

What could this mean for the broader Web3 and RWA landscape?

The strategy indicates that animoca brands sees convergence between gaming, digital identity and tokenized financial markets as the next major phase of Web3 adoption. By combining stablecoins, RWA platforms and gaming ecosystems, the company hopes to build user journeys that move seamlessly from entertainment to investment.

That said, progress will depend heavily on regulatory developments in Hong Kong, the United States and other key markets, as well as on sustained interest from both retail and institutional investors. If its joint ventures and reverse-merger listing proceed as planned, the group could become a prominent public proxy for the maturing tokenization and Web3 gaming sectors.

In summary, Animoca is doubling down on core gaming franchises while building new infrastructure for stablecoins and real-world assets, all underpinned by a prospective Nasdaq listing that may significantly broaden its investor base.